Home office: “I love the light in my office. It’s a great place to work from every day. With all my favorite design books and magazines around me, I’m constantly surrounded by inspiration. If I get blogger writer’s block and take a break to peruse my library, it never fails to get me going again.”

Photo: Www.sfgirlbybay.com

Home office: “I love the light in my office. It’s a great place...

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Cinque Terre, Italy: “This may be one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever traveled to. It’s kind of like the poor man’s Italian Rivera, with five tiny villages connected by train, ferries and hiking trails. You can hike trails above the Mediterranean Sea from town to town, stopping to taste wine, visit a farmers’ market or enjoy lunch.”

Photo: Www.sfgirlbybay.com

Cinque Terre, Italy: “This may be one of the most beautiful...

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Photography: “Above all of my hobbies, I am most passionate about photography. I love wandering around the city taking pictures, and capturing an unexpected look at the city.”

Like many bloggers, Victoria Smith's online postings started out as a hobby - a way to combine her interests in photography, interior design and writing. In college, she studied journalism and interior design. "After a short stint at an interior design showroom," she recalled, "I found I was horrid at selling and moved into advertising." In this new field, she worked her way up from receptionist to a director role, and later freelanced as an art buyer, which entailed producing photo shoots. In 2006, soon after Smith launched Sfgirlbybay ( www.sfgirlbybay.com), the design site Apartment Therapy tapped her Pacific Heights rental for a home tour. The feature resulted in increased traffic to Smith's blog. "One thing led to another," she said. "Over time, the blog grew a loyal readership and became my full-time job."

Thanks to her tireless efforts, as well as online advertisers and the income from her Etsy shop (sfgirlbybay.etsy.com) - which carries the popular "Keep Calm and Carry On" posters - less than two years after she published her first blog post, Smith was able to quit her advertising gig to focus on design writing. As a one-woman operation, there's always work to be done, she noted. One perk of her job though: "I work in my pajamas a lot of days!"

The Smith Cheat Sheet

Get tuned in: "KCRW Eclectic 24 Radio is my all-time favorite radio station. It's publicly supported, so there are no commercials, and they play the best of several genres of music. It keeps me company all day long while I'm blogging, and I am constantly turned on to new music." (kcrw.com)

Trading spaces: "I don't have a lot of extra cash for traveling, so I swap housing with people in other cities. Lots of people are interested in visiting San Francisco, so it works out really well. I'm swapping with a fellow blogger in May; she and her family will stay in my home, and I get to stay in their New York City apartment for a week - something I would never normally be able to afford."

To market, to market: "The Alemany Farmers' Market is my favorite farmers' market in the city. It's affordable, locally grown produce and a fun Saturday morning outing. There's nothing like picking up the week's cooking supplies and fresh flowers while being outside, surrounded by your fellow San Franciscans. I like starting my weekends this way." (100 Alemany Blvd.; (415) 647-9423)

On decorating: "I don't take my decorating very seriously, and I like a sense of humor in my accessories and artwork. If you really love something and it means something special to you, it will look great in your home. I collect vintage portrait paintings and make up stories about them. They've become my family, and fun, conversational pieces. People always ask about them."

Shopping site: "If you're not yet familiar with Etsy, you gotta check it out. There are thousands of handmade and vintage shops, all under one online roof. It's the perfect place to find a unique, handmade gift - anything from honey from someone's very own hive to artwork, photography and beautifully hand-knit scarves and locally designed clothing." (etsy.com)